


Hurt

by Redvines1595



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mind controlled Shiro, clone!shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 18:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17903195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redvines1595/pseuds/Redvines1595
Summary: After fighting with Shiro, Keith is in a lot of pain. Lance comes to help him and deeper feelings come to light.





	Hurt

“If you’re going to lead this team, you need to get your shit together and fucking be there for them!”

“Shiro, everything I do is for the team!” Keith replied in exasperation. They’d had this conversation a few times already, but those had never gotten quite as heated as this. 

“Oh, so leaving us to join the Blade was for the team? Going weeks or months without communicating is for the team? Was flying into that particle barrier for the team, too?”

“Yes!” Keith shouted back at the black paladin. “This is how I can help the team now. There’s no place for me here. You’re the leader of Voltron. The team doesn’t need me anymore.”

“That’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard, even from you, Keith.” Shiro scoffed. “You can’t just run away from your responsibilities like you did on Earth. You can flunk out of the Garrison, but you can’t flunk out of Voltron or the war.”

“You think I wanted to flunk out?” Keith stared at him incredulously. “Shiro, I tried so hard to be a good student. I... I wanted to make you proud of me.”

“Well, you failed at that, too, didn’t you?”

 

Time seemed to slow for Keith, his vision going red and hazy even as he lunged forward, landing a hit on Shiro’s jaw with a resounding crack. Shiro stumbled back in surprise, but recovered quickly, slipping around Keith’s clumsy guard and delivering a devastating blow to his side. A strangled scream escaped Keith’s mouth as he moved with the blow as well as he could, managing to duck the second and third hits that Shiro threw with mechanic efficiency. 

“You couldn’t get out of your own fucking ass long enough to make it through a normal life back at home. You couldn’t figure out how to be part of a team when you weren’t even the leader. You can’t even figure out when not to start a fight with someone who’s not afraid to take.” Shiro’s mechanical arm swiped at his head. “You.” His left leg surprised Keith, following the momentum of his arm and swiping his feet out from underneath him. “Down.” Keith cried out as he tried to catch himself, his already aching hand turning his vision white for a moment. 

“You can’t protect anyone. You can’t even protect yourself. And it won’t be long before everyone else figures it out too.” 

Keith scrambled to his feet just in time to avoid the kick Shiro had aimed at his ribs. He stood there for a second, panting as he stared at the person he had once regarded as a brother. Then he sprinted from the room.

Keith cradled his hand against his chest as he quickly made his way through the castle’s corridors toward his room, angry tears threatening to fall from his eyes. His thoughts were focused inward, the argument leading up to the altercation replaying in his head. Scrubbing his uninjured hand over his eyes, he wasn’t paying attention as he rounded the corner, slamming his shoulder into Lance. The unexpected impact sent a jolt of pain through his side and he gritted his teeth against the sound that wanted to escape.

“Hey, watch it!” Lance exclaimed, his face softening as he took in Keith’s distress- his bloodied hand, the cut on his lip. “Whoa, Keith... Buddy, are you okay?”

Keith quickly ducked his head and brushed passed the taller boy, ignoring him as he called after him. He was stepping into his room before the door had a chance to slide open completely and he locked it as soon as it was shut again. Now that Keith was alone, all of his emotions broke through at once. A quiet sob escaped his lips as he leaned back against the cool metal of the door and slid down to the floor.

His hands slid into his hair, his injuries crying out to be tended to, but Keith could hardly find the concentration to breathe. His emotions tore at him, self-doubts enhanced by Shiro’s pointed and unusual remarks. He had always used training as an outlet for his emotions, but he just felt so broken. It wasn’t an option for him right now. He didn’t understand what had happened, why Shiro had been so cruel. 

The black paladin’s words echoed through his head, confirming his anxieties. He was a failure. He failed to finish school, to be a leader, and even be a paladin of Voltron. He knew the team was better off without him, that’s why he had stayed away. But Shiro had managed to put him down for that, too. 

Keith covered his ears, trying to drown out Shiro’s voice and the incessant pounding in his head. After a moment, however, he realized that the pounding wasn’t all in his head. 

“Keith?” Lance said from the other side of the door, knocking lightly. “Come on, man. Open up.”

Keith covered his mouth in an attempt to muffle his sobs, praying for the blue paladin to leave. He couldn’t let Lance see him like this. The thought that a member of his team would see with even more clarity how useless he was, that he would tell the others, tell Shiro, was horrifying. 

There was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door. “Keith… Look, you don’t need to talk to me or tell me what happened, okay? I grabbed some stuff from the infirmary to fix up your hand. I just want to help.” 

A loud sob wracked through Keith’s body, his cramped position causing his bruised or possibly cracked ribs to scream in pain causing him to flinch. He had fought countless battles in this war, but none left him in as much pain as this. 

“Keith, please…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing his hand needed medical attention. He didn’t want Lance to see him like this, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Reaching up, Keith hit the keypad with his good hand, unlocking the door. He didn’t move as it slid open behind him. 

There was a pause before he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Come on,” Lance said softly, squatting down next to him. “Let’s get you to the bed.” Lance carefully wrapped his arm around Keith’s waist and helped him up to his feet, leading him over to the bed. 

Once Keith was eased down onto the edge of the mattress, Lance knelt down in front of him. The blue paladin began to pull the medical supplies from the pockets of his jacket and set them on the bed. “Can I see your hand?”

Keith kept his eyes down, hesitating for a moment before holding out his hand to him. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He would have stopped them if he could, but it was beyond his control.

He watched with blurry eyes as Lance’s hand reached out to gently hold his own. Keith marveled at the softness of his touch, the ache in his knuckles almost receding for a moment. However, as Lance carefully maneuvered his fingers to clean up the scrapes with an antiseptic wipe, a stinging pain shot through Keith’s fingers, causing him to pull his hand back with a whimper.

“I’m sorry,” Lance murmured to him as he reached out and gently placed his hand on Keith’s cheek, caressing the pale skin with his thumb. “I’m sorry, Keith. I’m sorry…”

Another quiet sob left Keith’s lips as he leaned into Lance’s touch. A moment passed between them, the blue paladin giving Keith a chance to calm down before dropping his hand from his face. He took Keith’s hand in his own once more and finished cleaning up his bloodied knuckles. Keith bit his lip through the aching pain, holding back another hiccuping sob. 

As soon as Lance was done cleaning the wounds, he set the wipe aside and reached out to give Keith’s uninjured hand a light squeeze. “Alright, it’s done. You did so well, babe. I’m gonna wrap it up for you now, okay?”

Keith simply nodded in response, squeezing his eyes shut in a poor attempt to stop his tears. He felt Lance take his injured hand once more, the pressure causing another pained whimper to escape his lips. The blue paladin wrapped a bandage around his hand, securing it once he was finished. 

“I think it might be broken,” Lance said softly, frowning. “But this will be okay for now. I need you to tell me where else you’re hurt. We’ve gotta get you taken care of.”

Keith could feel Lance’s worried eyes on him as he moved his good hand across his body to lightly rest on his side. With a quick nod, Lance moved to carefully lift the hem of Keith’s t-shirt, hesitating when Keith’s hands settled over his.

“Why’re you helping me, Lance?” His voice was quiet, hoarse from crying, but steady. 

Lance paused, lowering Keith’s shirt once again. “Because you’re hurting,” he replied with a shrug. “And you’re my friend. I care about you, man. I want to help.”

“But why?” Keith asked, finally meeting Lance’s eyes. “I’ve been a horrible friend to you and the rest of the team. I've failed you all.”

Lance blinked at him, his brows furrowed. “What’re you talking about? You haven’t failed any of us.” He shook his head, reaching out to gently place his hand on Keith’s knee. “I mean, yeah, we miss you and we worry about you, but we don’t think you’ve failed us. Keith, I… We care about you.”

Keith watched him closely as he spoke, his eyes searching for any sign of a lie. But he found none. 

He nearly jumped as he felt Lance’s hand slide up his leg, taking hold of his shirt again. “Will you let me help you, now?”

Keith bit his lip and gave a quick nod before Lance resumed. He carefully maneuvered Keith out of his shirt before setting it aside. Lance’s eyes widened as he looked him over, Keith’s arms self-consciously wrapping around himself. 

“Keith, we should get you to a healing pod.” He pointed at the sharp red lines of blood under his skin that preluded the bruise to come. It had already started to pool near his lowest rib, turning a mottled purple that would soon spread up his side. 

“No!” Keith said suddenly, shaking his head. He couldn’t let Shiro see how much pain he was in. “No, I’ll… I’ll be fine. I don’t need a pod.”

Lance opened his mouth to protest, but instead shook his head with a soft sigh. He reached across the mattress and grabbed a silver packet with Altean writing scrawled across it in blue. “Can I at least put this on it? It’ll help with the pain.”

Keith remained still for a moment before finally nodding his head. He watched as Lance tore open the packet and squeezed the blue paste onto his fingers. “You’re gonna have to move your arms for me, babe.”

Keith let out a shaky breath as he slowly let his arms return to his sides. Lance smiled at him softly before reaching out to spread the cool paste over Keith’s ribs. His eyes felt shut, exhaling softly as he felt immediate relief from the pain in his side. His skin tingled beneath Lance’s fingers before being swept over by a cooling numbness. 

Just as Keith’s weariness began to fade, Lance pulled his hand away and wiped off the excess paste on a tissue. “How’s that feel, babe?”

Keith furrowed his brows, opening his eyes to look at Lance. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Calling you what?” Lance replied quickly, his face flushing red as he scratched the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t call you anything. Nothing that two friends wouldn’t call each other. Because that’s what we are, you know? Friends.”

“Lance,” Keith said softly, watching the other boy as his blue eyes lingered over the pale skin of his chest. 

“I-If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.” Lance’s voice was quiet as he looked away from him.

“No,” Keith shook his head, his own face flushing softly. “No, it’s okay.”

Lance met his eyes, staring for a moment before a soft smile spread across his face. “You know, you still didn’t answer my question. How’re you feeling? I brought some painkillers, if you want them?”

Keith bit his lip softly before nodding. Maybe they’d help to numb the pain in his heart? He watched as Lance pulled a small bottle from his pocket, opening it to offer a couple of capsules to him. Keith took them and popped them into his mouth, swallowing. 

He watched as Lance got to his feet, gently placing his hands on Keith’s shoulders as he guided him to lay back on the bed. “Get some rest, okay? You’ll feel better after some sleep.”

Keith obliged willingly, exhausted from everything. Lance tucked him in before gently smoothing Keith’s hair back from his pale face. “I’ll check on you in the morning, alright?”

Keith’s good hand shot out to grab Lance’s sleeve as he began to move away. “Don’t go,” He said before he really had a chance to think. Clearing his throat, he wiped away his tears on his forearm. “Please?”

Lance stared at him for a moment before his face softened with a quick nod. He removed his shoes and jacket before climbing in next to Keith, careful not to hurt him. He laid on his side to face him, looking him over with furrowed brows. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Keith bit his lip softly, avoiding Lance’s eyes. He didn’t know if he’d be okay after this. His relationship with Shiro certainly wouldn’t be. His wounds would heal eventually, but things would never be the same. Keith pressed his forehead to Lance’s chest, unable to contain another quiet sob. 

“Shh…” Lance wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, making sure to avoid his injuries, and gently began to rub his back. “Shh… Keith, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you, babe.”

Lance continued to hold Keith through the night, even after he had cried himself to sleep. However, when Keith awoke the next morning, he was disappointed to find that the blue paladin had gone. 

Keith sat up with a grunt, the ache in his side making it difficult to breathe normally. As he rubbed away the dried tears on his cheeks, he glanced over at the bedside table to find the bottle of painkillers, another silver packet of cooling paste, and a quickly scrawled note. 

“Hope you’re feeling better, samurai. I’ll be in the control room if you need me. -Lance”

Keith managed to smile a bit at the note before he began getting ready. As soon as he was medicated and dressed in his Blade Of Marmora suit, Keith made his way to the control room. He kept his head down as he walked, not in the mood to explain himself to anyone. He couldn’t stay. Not with what had happened with Shiro. 

The doors of the control room slid open and a small smile formed on Keith’s lips. Pidge, Allura, and Coran were all huddled around the control panel, the Alteans listening intently to whatever science-y thing pidge was trying to explain. Hunk and Lance stood off to the side, laughing at whatever one of them had said. Shiro was nowhere to be found, causing an uneasiness to settle in his stomach.

“Keith!” He was pulled away from his thoughts as the blue paladin rushes over to him with a smile on his face. However, it was gone by the time he had reached him. “You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied, his eyes dropping to his feet. “I can’t stay, so I came to say goodbye. I… I don’t know when I’ll be back next.”

Lance nodded a bit as he reached out to take Keith’s hand, not seeming to care that the others were coming over to say goodbye, as well. “Just be careful, okay? Give yourself some time to heal. And try to call more often. We worry about you… I worry.”

Before Keith had a chance to respond, big arms were pulling him into a hug. Usually he appreciated Hunk’s hugs, but this time he had to grit his teeth through the pain as his bruised ribs were constricted. ”We’re gonna miss you so much!” Hunk was practically sobbing. 

Keith managed to get his arm free enough to pat his friend on the back. “I’ll miss you guys, too.” He was released from the crushing embrace to say goodbye to the others as well. 

The doors slid open behind him and, when Keith turned around, he felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Shiro, but everything he’d said came back echoing in his ears. 

His eyes locked on the bruise that had formed on Shiro’s cheekbone just as Pidge spoke up. “What happened to you?”

The black paladin furrowed his brows as he reached up to touch his cheek. “What… Oh, uh, I think the training bot got me,” Shiro replied with a shrug, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. His eyes turned to Keith. “So, you’re leaving?”

Keith was frozen to the spot, eyes wide and heart racing. The fight played through his mind, rendering him unable to do much of anything except stand there. He felt panic begin to rise in his chest, making it harder to breathe. 

A warm hand on his back pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. “Yeah, he’s got some super official Blade stuff to do,” Lance shrugged, ignoring the look of confusion on Shiro’s face as he turned to Keith. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your pod.” 

Lance guided him out of the control room and away from the others, keeping his hand on Keith’s back as they walked. Once they had arrived, Lance stopped him and pulled him into a careful hug. “I know it was Shiro,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry, Keith.”

Keith held onto him tightly, hiding his face against Lance’s neck. His body was trembling, but he was thankful to have the other boy there to keep him grounded. 

He bit back a sound of disappointment as Lance pulled away from him. “You’re gonna be okay, Keith. You’re the strongest person I know.”

Lance reached out to place his hand on Keith’s cheek, wiping away the stray tears that had fallen from his eyes. Keith watched him closely, not missing the brief moment that the taller boy’s eyes flickered down to his lips. Before he had a chance to think, Keith closed the distance between them, earning a muffled sound of surprise from Lance. 

Lance leaned into the kiss, stepping closer to him with a soft sigh of content. However, he pulled away suddenly, forcing a quiet whine from Keith’s lips. “What the hell, man!” 

Keith stepped away from the taller boy. He had never been very good at reading situations. He must have misread Lance’s feelings as well. Keith kept his head down as he wiped his eyes. “Sorry. Sorry, I just thought-“

“Keith, no.” Lance stepped closer to him again, shaking his head. “I was just going to say that I wanted to be the one to kiss you first.”

“You…” Keith met his eyes for a moment before shaking his head, slightly pushing Lance away from him. “You’re such an asshole!”

Lance chuckled softly, shrugging. “Yeah, but I’m your asshole. Or at least I could be… Yours, I mean. If you want.”

Keith smiled and moved closer to kiss him again, wrapping his arms around Lance’s shoulders. All of his troubles disappeared as they held each other. 

When their lips finally parted, Lance was grinning at him. “So, I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

Keith rolled his eyes with a smile as he pulled away from him. “I’ll see you soon, sharpshooter.”

Lance held on to Keith’s hand as he pulled away to head towards his pod, only letting go once he was out of reach. He let out a sigh as he turned to leave. 

“Hey, Lance?” The blue paladin turned back to look at Keith, brows furrowed expectantly. His face softened when he saw Keith’s smile. “Thanks… For taking care of me.” 

Lance only had time to smile back at Keith as he climbed into the pod and shut the door. Soon after, he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to littlewerewolftori13 for beta reading!


End file.
